Kestrel adult male and fledgling
June 26, 2014 in American Kestrel
Flight agility increases noticeably during first week after nest departure, as flutter-glide is mostly replaced by deep wing-beats. Young appear hyperactive, changing perches frequently, attempting to pounce on various objects (including butterflies), performing exaggerated head-bobbing and tail-pumping intention movements, and emitting whine calls. Initially, parents deliver food to young; fledglings approach parents for food exchange by 1–2 wk postfledging. In post fledging mode we look for: perch-resting and preening to decrease, while perch-hunting, flying, and eating self-captured prey increase. Perch-hunting success peaks at 3 weeks, at which time begging behavior ceases. This parent and young were seen just east of the 250 Canal St. complex in Lawrence.